Content warning for this chapter... Yeah, what you are about to see is considered extreme even in the standards of the previous chapters. Read at your own discretion.
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And that's how I became friends with Alice.
Wow, you've finally escaped loneliness. That's great, Leon.
I wish I could feel genuinely happy about it, though.
Let's clear one thing up.
It's not that I was alone because I couldn't make friends. I was alone because, like Leon, I had no intention of making friends. You could call it a voluntary outsider situation. I haven't even possessed Leon for a week, yet just adjusting to this new reality has proven to be exhausting.
Besides, I have no intention of changing the future.
Having 'information' that others don't, presents endless possibilities. The future could certainly change based on how I act. But how can I be sure that change would be for the better? Just because my intentions are good doesn't mean it guarantees good outcomes.
Even so, I already knew the answer and steeled my resolve. I know which path is right and what must be done.
But what if, by trying to improve things, I stray onto a different path and end up with a different conclusion?
I don't know.
And since I don't know, I can't act recklessly.
So, I've been trying to follow Leon's steps as closely as possible.
It's impossible to replicate them exactly, though. After all, I'm not Leon.
But I could do something similar.
I hadn't planned to get close to Elsia until summer vacation.
And until the second semester, I didn't plan to get close to my other classmates, including the heroines.
Since Leon did it that way, I was going to do it too.
Alright, let's admit it.
My thinking was too shallow.
If I had really intended to follow Leon's steps, I shouldn't have helped Alice. But ignoring a girl who tripped right in front of me seemed wrong, don't you think? I followed my conscience, and as a result, I ended up forming a bond with Alice.
Sigh.
What's done is done, crying over spilt milk won't do me any good.
Let's not dwell too negatively. Even if I inadvertently disrupted Elsia and Alice's first encounter—or, well, first meeting since they already knew each other's faces—those two will still get close soon.
The story of "Blades of Eternity" hasn't even really started yet.
There will be plenty of opportunities for Elsia to bond with the heroines, and Alice has a strong advantage. That's because she has a powerful weapon that's incredibly impactful for Elsia.
Elsia has a deceased younger sister.
And Alice resembles her.
So Elsia naturally couldn't help but be drawn to Alice.
Seeing Alice would constantly remind him of his late sister, making it hard for her to ignore her.
In the end, from the moment it became impossible to follow Leon's actions perfectly, the future was bound to shift subtly. I've only been trying to make it change as little as possible. Besides, it's not so bad, right? At least I don't have to spend the entire first semester alone.
Alice genuinely wanted to befriend me. She approached me more actively than I expected. When she invited me to eat lunch together, I even seriously doubted for a moment whether she was Frey pretending to be Alice.
For a girl who used to fear human interaction, she sure mustered up a lot of courage… Hehe, it's oddly satisfying. I realized that even a small act of kindness could give someone the courage they need.
Like I said before, there's no use crying over spilt milk.
Given the situation, I'll just go along with it and stay close to Alice.
After all, rejecting Alice because of some vague concerns about the future might lead to worse outcomes. Not that I needed any such calculated reason; I wanted to be friends with Alice too.
Because she's really cute.
Yes, that's a flawless reason.
Right?
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After school.
I was reading a book that Alice recommended at the library.
Of course, I wasn't alone; I was with Alice.
By the way, I returned most of the stacked-up books on the desk to Alice since I can't read as quickly as she does.
As I could tell from the pink cover, it was a romance novel about love and conflict between a man and a woman. I'd never read this genre before, but it wasn't bad. The story of two people with nothing in common meeting by chance and gradually growing closer was quite well-crafted. No wonder Alice recommended it.
But as with any novel, the protagonists eventually face a crisis.
The male protagonist, who possesses supernatural abilities, goes off to fight in a war against monsters and eventually goes missing. The news of his 'death' reaches the female protagonist, who becomes devastated. Unable to bear her sorrow, she ties a rope to the ceiling to follow him to the afterlife. She climbs onto a chair, ties the rope around her neck, and…
Well, of course, the male protagonist turns out to be alive, and the female protagonist narrowly escapes death. Just as I was reading up to this point, I remembered something I had to do, so I said goodbye to Alice and left the library first.
I hurried back to the dormitory. Hehe, why didn't I think of this before? Books really are a treasure trove of knowledge. There's a reason many great people have praised books as nourishment for the mind.
Back in my room, I looked around.
What I was looking for… of course, wasn't there.
Well, no matter how unconventional this academy is, a rope wouldn't just be lying around a girl's dorm room.
Where could I get a rope? A hardware store, I suppose?
But I didn't know where the hardware store was. I'd spent so much time reading in the library that I didn't have time to search for it. By the time I found it, it would probably be closed.
What should I do…
It's too early to give up.
As they say, if you lack teeth, use your gums.
I looked around to see if there was anything I could use as a rope. A belt? Too stiff and hard to tie. A necktie? Not bad, but I'll set it aside for now. Stockings? They'd probably snap. A whip? Wait, why do I even have this?
Ah, I forgot.
Leon wasn't picky about weapons. A whip was one of the tools he used. It wasn't very useful against monsters, so he rarely used it in real battles. He was so unskilled with it that every time he swung it, he hit himself.
I pulled the leather whip tightly. Yes, this should do
Now to tie it… but how?
The book I'd just read mentioned that a noose knot, called an Evans knot, was used for hanging. The problem was that I didn't know how to make it.
I shouldn't have acted so impulsively. I should have looked for a related book in the library. But it was too late now. I had no choice but to tie it my own way. After a few tries, I ended up with something reasonably decent.
Now, where should I hang the tied whip? There wasn't a suitable place. Should I go outside and tie it to a tree branch? But then someone might see me. Not an option.
I folded my arms and pondered. Should I prepare a nail and hammer it into the ceiling? But where would I get a nail? After racking my brain, I noticed the wardrobe's clothing rail. I took it out and attached it above the entrance. The suction-mounted clothes rail held firmly and didn't budge when I pulled it.
I climbed onto a chair and tied the whip.
The length… seemed fine. If I kicked away the chair, my feet wouldn't touch the ground.
My heart pounded.
It was my first attempt at self-harm—no, I mean a self-training method, so I felt a bit nervous.
What would happen if I couldn't breathe? Would super regeneration work against strangulation?
I didn't know. I'd find out soon enough.
I placed my neck into the noose.
After taking a short breath, I kicked away the chair.
"…Ugh?!"
Gravity pulled me downwards.
My body sank lower.
Instinctively, my hands grasped the noose around my neck.
My feet couldn't reach the ground, so I flailed in mid-air.
"Kegh… Kah… Ack…"
I-it hurts…
I can't breathe.
The carotid artery is constricted.
It hurts.
This was a pain of a different kind from anything I'd ever felt before.
My head was burning.
Blood flow was cut off, and my brain couldn't receive it.
My survival instincts made me desperately try to breathe, but the air couldn't pass through my throat.
The sturdy leather whip dug into my neck.
My skin tore, and a sharp pain encircled my throat.
My heart pounded even faster.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My ears rang.
Thoughts couldn't continue…
Oh, this is bad…
Am I really going to die──
"Huh… Ugh…"
My vision shook.
My eyes felt hot, like they were about to pop out.
My lips became wet with saliva.
My knees tingled.
Colors began to fade.
Ah.
Aah…
It hurts. It hurts. Please save me.
I'm dying.
I never expected super regeneration to have such a weakness.
If breathing is blocked entirely, even regeneration is helpless.
Wait.
Is this a joke?
I'm really dying.
I'm dying..
I'm dying.
I'm really dying…
"Kegh… Ugh… He… Hehehe…"
So, why do I feel happy?
My heart races by the second.
It's terrifying, yet thrilling.
It feels like my brain is rotting sweetly.
So sweet.
What is this?
"Ah… Ugh… Kegh…"
My boxers became damp.
Something warm flowed down between my legs.
The sound of droplets hitting the floor.
My vision flickers with darkness.
The sound of my heartbeat grew distant.
"…Ah."
The strength in my hands clutching the leather whip faded.
My struggling legs went limp.
Blood dripped from my half-open lips.
I tasted iron.
But it soon faded.
My senses grew faint.
My clenched molars began to grind.
I couldn't hear my heart beating.
Squeak.
My body swung side to side.
Like a pendulum.
Squeak.
Squeak.
Squeak.
"Hi… hee hee…"
Ah…
Bliss~♡
And my consciousness faded away.